Hypertension, resulting in secondary organ damage and reduced life span, is one of the most important public health problems in developed countries. It is a multifactorial disease for which etiology is unknown in 95% of cases. There is currently no predictive diagnosis for this disease. The long-term objective of the project described in this proposal is the development of a diagnostic test for the detection for an individual's susceptibility to hypertension. The method will be based on the analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphisms which are scattered throughout the human genome and which may correlate with risk factors involved in the onset of the disease. Renin and atrial natriuretic factor play a key role in the regulation of blood pressure. Therefore, we propose in Phase I to find genetic markers at the renin and atrial natriuretic factor gene levels and to correlate the presence of these markers with specific types of hypertension. Phase II effort will extend these studies to these and other genes involved in the development of hypertension. Larger patient populations will also be considered. The test that we will develop will be commercialized in the form of a diagnostic kit to detect individuals at risk for hypertension so that true prevention can be practiced.